NOVEL NEXT Chapter 28: Chapter 27: The Storm
Summary: A confrontation with a great evil.
Angie heard the door bang open, looking to see the kids rushing in the house. "Hey Mr and Mrs Diaz, no time to explain!" Star shouted, running upstairs. She was more frantic than usual. It was such a strange sight seeing the super cheerful girl looked so stressed out.
"Star, star, I know we're in a hurry, but we can't just rush in there!" She heard Star's little brother call out to his sister as they heard a bunch of crashing and rumbling from the girl's room.
"Could we get an explanation from you?" Angie asked Kelly.
"Ahaha yeah…I'm not too sure how used you guys are to high stake situations to the rest of us, because if I tell you right now, you might freak out and have collective heart attacks." The bushy haired girl said to them.
"What are you talking about? We make sure to keep Marco out of trouble every day." She argued with a frown.
"That's the thing, Marco isn't here…he's the one in trouble…..he's been kidnapped by a monster and is being held hostage on Mewni.."
"He's WHAT!?" She shouted. "Honey, get down here now! We need to call the Mewni police! Our son has been taken!"
She could hear him clattering in panic. "I'll get the mirror phone now and contact Mr Butterfly!"
"No, no, no, no, no! No one contacts anyone!" Star tripped down the stairs with a bag full of swords and daggers. "The lizard man says he wants my wand and wants me to come alone. I'm not going to risk anyone else getting hurt when he just wants me."
"Ah, you mean WE'RE not going to risk anyone else getting hurt." The Butterfly boy corrected his sister. "If you think you're going alone, then you're dead wrong."
"Oh I know I'm not stopping you." She admitted. "I'm just stopping literally everyone else."
"Then you better be including me into that mix." Kelly stepped into the argument. "I got Rose's sword, you're going to need me watching your backs."
"You kids are not going out into the middle of a hostage situation involving our son!" She shouted. "Do you understand me!?"
"I'm sorry, Mr and Mrs. Diaz, but there's literally nothing else we can do about this!" Star shouted. "Marco's about to be crushed in a very weird glass cage thing, and If I don't show up soon, then the next time you'll see your son, it's gonna be in a very flat casket!"
"Flat … cask-" She felt her vision blacken as she passed out.
========================================================================
Buff Frog life had taken a bit of a down turn as of late. That's what he got for placing all his hopes and loyalty into one monster's very lofty goals and ambition. Fortunately, he didn't have any pressing needs at the current moment, he was used to living outside, and he could stand to go a few days without needing to eat. The only long term issue was what he would do when his tadpoles finally hatched.
Ludo came by every so often, begging him to come back, but Buff Frog had learned his lesson and burned that bridge when he still had the chance. The man suddenly heard footsteps, turning to see the Butterfly siblings and their bushy green haired friend holding scissors. "… Buff Frog." Quartz Butterfly greeted.
"Butterfly Prince. Princess. Bush." He nodded curtly. The boy at least apologized whenever they fought, and he still remembered the food the princess gave him. "What is it that you want?"
The princess looked like she was about to walk away, but sighed, turning to him. "We need help."
"I want corn." He responded bluntly.
"… That's it?" Star Butterfly asked. "No need for violent coercion or begging? Not even asking what we need?"
"Need to feed tadpoles, hatching soon." He pulled out his wallet, showing them pictures of the eggs.
"Awwww, babies." The Butterfly princess cooed, before turning serious again. "Our friend Marco got kidnapped, and it wasn't by Ludo. Who is he?"
"That would be the new boss, the one who overthrew Ludo …" He gave a dark and serious look. "Toffee."
"Toffee?" The walking bush said with disbelief. "Who names themselves after something you find in pieces of chocolate?"
"I thought the same thing too, but within a few weeks he took me out, the only man who would support Ludo, and then overthrew Ludo himself." Yvgeny explained. "He is strong and smart, you must have a plan."
"Blast through the minions, chop Toffee's head off, and free Marco." Star Butterfly said without skipping a beat.
"I highly doubt it will be that easy." He spoke disappointedly.
"I say it's a good plan." Bushy hair spoke. "We never get serious about murder."
"And … I'm just gonna look away and hope I can block out the image." The Butterfly prince shook his head. "I'm sorry that we're asking you to do this, but we really could use all the help we can get."
"No problem, Butterfly child. I have personal business with Toffee as well. Our goal is aligned." They heard the tiny pitter patter of Ludo's footsteps.
"Buff Frog…Buff Frog, come back, work for me, and we can overthrow…" The Kappa took one glance at the group. "What's going on?"
"We're taking down Toffee, you want in, offer us something Buff Frog can't." The princess deadpanned.
"The key to my castle?" Ludo offered up.
"...So we're really doing this team up then?" The bush groaned.
"It's for Marco, I'm doing what it takes." The princess spoke darkly.
========================================================================
Toffee tapped his finger against the table, waiting … and waiting … as long as it took. "How long would you say you have left?" He asked his captive. "I'm going for … three hours, for your three frie-no, make that four. I keep forgetting about the hair person."
"Whatever man. You think you're so cool with your plan and your fancy lawyer suit, but Star, Quartz, and Kelly are going to burst through that door any minute and turn this place upside down.
"They will." He could hear the footsteps. "In three … two … one." The trio burst in … along with Buff Frog? A surprise, but not an unwelcome one. "I see that we have all the members of your little circus troupe." He then noticed a fifth figure lagging behind everyone else. "And a stray animal to cast pity on."
"How dare you!" He shouted. "I'm here for my kingdom-" He was eaten by the chicken, nobody gave it a second look.
"So what's the game?" Toffee asked. "Negotiations at the forefront, or would you like to try and hurt me for a penalty?"
"I'm going to break Marco out and blast through everyone here." The princess pointed her wand at him. "MEGA NARWHAL BLAST!"
"So childish." He let the magic hit him, knocking him on the ground as the rest of his minions charged at the group of children.
"We'll keep them off of you, you focus on getting Marco out of there!" Rose's Quartz's brat shouted, already taking out a few bubbles and chucking them at everyone. "I know you guys aren't that bad, but you've really taken it too far this time!"
"We're sorry, this guy is just really good at convincing us!" Bear shouted, being launched into a wall.
He stood up, looking with a bored expression. "Violence will not help you in this situation-" He couldn't comment on anything else, on the account of a pink sword severing head from body … such an annoying blade.
"He's down, hit the box!" He really should've paid attention to the Woolet, she was an unexpected brawn of the group.
"Got it, TURBO NUCLEAR BUTTERFLY BLAST!" It fired…And there was not a scratch on the box. "What the …"
"It's Gem Tech!" Marco shouted. "Toffee had a remote!"
"I'm going to search his body!" Kelly shouted. "Maybe there's …" She froze, staring at him, which was to be expected when someone headless was standing before you.
He let his body fix itself, the voice box finished even as his brain took a few seconds to kick in. "You do remember." He stared, grabbing her arm. "What I said about a penalty, right?"
CRACK
"KELLY!" Quartz Butterfly, charged at him as the girl reeled back from her now broken arm. Hints of pink could be seen all over his body as the glow on his star marks became bright. "Why are you doing this!? What reason do you have to hurt us, hurt her like that!?" Cracks formed against the wall he was being pressed against.
"I don't need to explain myself, especially to you of all people, Steven Universe." The boy's eyes widened. "Now for Star Butterfly." He pressed his collar as the cage began descending. "Give me what I want, or the moment Marco dies, I move on to your brother."
"...." The girl looked to her wand, to Marco, and finally to her brother. "...Fine, take it." She threw it on the ground. "Now let him go."
"Star, don't…"
"Don't fight me on this of all things, Quartz!" She yelled out. "Magic is pointless if I lose everyone I care about!"
"Isn't that sweet?" He forced himself away from the Rose Quartz brat and slid the wand back to the girl. "But as I said before, I'm not Ludo. Don't give me the wand…Destroy it."
"Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat?" All the kids and monsters in the area called out at the same time.
"Surprise!" He couldn't help but shout. He's been waiting for this moment for years, he would allow himself one moment of excitement. "Use the whispering spell and destroy it."
"What's the whispering spell?" Quartz asked with a confused and scared look.
"Would you look at that … looks like your womb donor wasn't the only secret Moon hid from you." The boy's eyes looked as if they would pop out, obviously knowing exactly what he meant. "But then again, your mother loves her secrets, a real nightmare isn't she Star?"
"No…how do you know that spell?" Star looked at him, terrified.
"Oh I've been around a long while … and it would have saved me the trouble if I knew the first thing your mother taught you." He smirked.
"... The first …" Star looked at Quartz. "You and Kelly stand by Marco, okay?"
"But wha-"
"Don't argue with me, do it now." The boy hesitated, before stealing his gaze and grabbing his companion, getting out of the way.
The princess leaned down into her wand and whispered the unintelligible entropy he would have slain hundreds for. The room itself grew as cold as the wand, turning black as the object's color lost its shine, greyscaling enveloping it entirely. After a second of silence a tiny spectral Millhorse came out from the wand, floating straight to Star's ear and whispering secrets of the universe.
After a single tear was shed she dropped the wand next to him, glaring into his eyes with a hatred he could almost see in a mirror, but it wasn't that deep yet. "Now open the door."
He relented, pressing a button that lifted the cage, and made a door. "You're free to go … or hide inside, if that's what you want."
"Star, what's going…" Quartz couldn't finish as she dragged her friends to Marco's cage.
"There's no time to run, we need to take cover while we can!"
"Cover from what!?" Kelly shouted, only too soon to be answered by the sparking wand. "What the hell!?"
"Gentlemen." He told the monsters who realized too late what was happening, as he took a hold of the star on the wand, his closest goal. "It's been an honor."
BOOOOOOOMMMMM
========================================================================
Quartz could only see white and hear ringing, disoriented from the wand, apparently, EXPLODING! Why the heck did such a dangerous spell exist!? Why would Mom even tell Star that spell to begin with!?
Once they could all see, and hear, they realized they were all hugging each other in a desolate landscape, nothing for miles. "Is everyone okay!? Marco, Quartz, Kelly?" Star called out to all of them.
"Besides my hand from punching the thing, I'm good!" Marco answered a little loudly, rubbing his ears. "Maybe some ringing too!"
"Yeah, I'm fine…I've gotten worse injuries before just buying ice cream back home." Kelly said, rubbing an arm that was too purple for his liking.
"Kelly.." He tried to look at it closer. "I'm sorry…" He reached out, only to have his attention diverted to Star, who's attention seemed to be lost in space. "Star, what was that?" He asked his sister. "You have a spell where you whisper to your wand and it goes boom!?"
"Mom told it to me long before I even got the wand, and said it was a super secret princess last resort thing." His sister looked downtrodden. "The milhorse inside is dead…the wand won't work anymore."
Marco was the first to hug her, the rest of them soon followed. "It's okay, I don't think Toffee's around anymore." They all exited the cage, finding nothing but ashes. "Or the castle for that matter."
An egg next to them hatched, revealing Ludo. "I am alive! … What did I miss?"
"Wand's broken, castle's destroyed, and likely every monster other than us is dead." … They all looked at Tad.
"I always forget that you're even a thing. You're the most useless friend I have." Star groaned. Quartz…Quartz didn't exactly disagree with that.
"Everythings gone…it's all gone…..?!" Ludo shouted. "We're no longer best friends!"
"Wait, was that ever a thing?" Marco asked them, and they all shook their heads no.
"From no on, we're mortal enemies…!" Ludo was picked up by..oh wow, Buff Frog actually made it out alive. Good for him. "Let go of me, you big old meat…" Buff Frog took the scissors that Ludo owned, and tossed him into a black portal.
"Sorry….really, really needed to do that after everything that's happened." Buff Frog groaned, and none of them were particularly against what he just did.
"I'll … make sure you get your corn." Star said. "Thanks for helping … even if it turns out we were just gonna play into whatever weird hands he had."
"He went through all that trouble just to destroy the wand." Kelly rubbed her head. "Only to die in the end. What was the point?"
" Is he dead?" Marco asked. "He survived you cutting his head off."
"Lizard people are known for healing if something's left, but I don't see anything left OF him." Quartz looked around, noticing the wand, half buried in the ground. "I guess we should just get this home and hope…"
"Mi scusi." A voice spoke up. They all looked around in confusion.
"Quartz, look!" Star turned his attention to something else on the ground, something on all four legs trotting towards the wand. "A tiny horse!"
"Quando ero un cavallino, la mamma mi ha detto che verrà il giorno in cui sarò chiamato ad assolvere una responsabilità più grande di me, più grande di questa dimensione." The horse pulled a horn out of a briefcase, screwing it on as it approached the wand. "Per me quel giorno è oggi!" And entered the magical device after flipping open its lid.
"…." They all turned to Marco. "That was Italian, not Spanish, I don't speak it."
Before they could ponder what exactly to make of the sight right in front of them, the wand sank into the dirt, and some sort of crystalline structure formed around it. After a few seconds, the wand rose up from the ground, with a new design to it, bigger and sharper wings and slightly darker shades of pink around it.
"Whoa." Kelly said, looking at it, although they couldn't help but notice one single fact-half the crystal was gone.
"My wand has a battle scar!" Star shouted with glee. "It's somehow even cooler and more precious than it was before!"
"Good…I don't think I can handle anything else bad happening today." Quartz patted his sister on the back. "Not sure if this counts as a win, but we should go before.." The group found themselves surrounded by Mewman knights. "We're in so much trouble."
========================================================================
Moon looked as her two children stood there guiltily, the boy known as Marco standing by his parents. On the other side the Crystal Gems, looking accusingly at Quartz and Star.
"Okay, so there was this crazy guy named Toffee who had gem tech and put Marco in a box and he said if anyone else came he would crush him, so we snuck in and cut off his head but he grew it back and then I blew up the wand but it lives somehow, and Ludo got sent into space so he probably won't be a thing anymore and…" Star looked down.
"He was so scary…" Quartz looked down as well. "He didn't care if people got hurt, he didn't even care when he got hurt…I…I don't know how anyone would've been able to fight him." The boy was shaking in fear.
"Star…Quartz.." She walked up to them, and pulled them into a hug, one that she wanted to last as long as possible. "Don't scare us like that again."
"Oh, so you're … not mad?" Star asked tentatively.
"I'm always mad, I'm just more relieved that you two got out of the situation relatively unscahted." She looked the two over, their faces clearly still filled with fear from their encounter with the worst enemy she's ever had to encounter. "I know things are very turbulent within our family right now, but I'm still your mom. I want to be there to help you two no matter what."
"Thank you mom." Quartz smiled at her. "We should have called, it just seemed like … time was limited."
"Believe me, I know. I've had to make similar decisions many times in the past, and I probably will make a few more in the near future." She patted them. "Why don't you and the Gems spend the day relaxing with the Diaz family? I'll make sure to get the wand cleaned up."
"Actually we would rather discuss.." Pearl began to say, but Amethyst and Ruby pushed her out the door.
"Dude, read the room, she wants to be alone." The purple gem smirked.
"Let's party the fact that we survived!" The red one smiled and shouted.
"Oh, such a crazy day, I even got to ride a ho-AAAAHHH! It's out of control!" The mother of the Diaz family shouted.
"Pull the reins forward, give it slack!" Star ran off, shouting at the mother.
Quartz stayed behind, giving her a soft smile before running off to them. "You know, he really has become part of the family, hasn't he?" River laughed.
"He has…he's been a part of it since that very first day." Moon let herself smile. Despite any problems that occurred, she didn't regret bringing Quartz into her family. She then noticed another figure that was still around, Sapphire, who was still within the room. "Can we … help you?"
"I foresee you calling Glossaryck for an emergency… and frustration." The woman said.
"I keep forgetting about your future sight." Moon sighted. "Could you give me the rundown of what that call would have entailed?" If she could avoid an annoying conversation with Glosseryck, she would take it.
"He would've gone on about the wand being cleaved, then he rants about the word cleave, then he talks about trying to find the missing half of it." That sounded like what the man would talk about.
"We scoured the area." River spoke. "There was no other half of the wand in sight. Meaning it either was launched farther than our search radius …"
"Or someone else has already found it." The worst case scenario was Toffee, the man was dangerous enough without magic by his side. "Do you foresee a Serpetarian named Toffee arriving in your visions?"
"…" She was silent. "… I have never heard nor seen him. I can't see the future they have without Ruby."
"I suppose that it can't be helped, then. Thank you." She nodded, already knowing the whole fusion thing was tricky from the little Rose explained to her. Moon then looked at the wand. "Is there anything that you can see about my family's heirloom?"
"..." Sapphire looked long and hard. "Objects and people infused in magic tend to make my visions more foggy…but I foresee Star using it…very, very erratically." Moon shrugged, that one was just obvious.